- April 20, 2024
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The sport is played every weekday morning at Nova Community Center.
BY WAYNE GRANT | STAFF WRITER
It may sound like a game played in the produce section of a grocery store, but pickleball is a sport enjoyed all over the nation, including from 9 a.m. to noon every weekday at the Nova Community Center, 440 N. Nova Road.
“It’s the No. 1 growing sport,” said Lori Koplin, coordinator at the center. “Two years ago, we had two courts, and now we have four. ... It’s kind of a mix between tennis, badminton and table tennis. A lot of people who used to play tennis like to play it.”
Bill Lauby, of Daytona Beach, was playing pickleball recently at the center and noted that it’s played on a smaller court than tennis, which makes it easier, but it’s still a fast-paced game and “very competitive.”
His partner, Bob Fiske, of Ormond Beach, agreed, saying there is less running but you get “plenty of exercise.”
A visitor from Toronto, Ontario, Mel McCarthy, said he used to play tennis but quit when he hurt his shoulder.
“I still work up a good sweat,” he said. Another advantage, he said, is that pickleball games are shorter than a tennis game.
A pickleball court is the same size as a badminton court and can be played indoors or out. The net is the same height as a tennis court net and the players, two on each side, use paddles and a green ball similar to a Wiffle ball.
“Kids see the green ball and say, ‘That’s why it’s called pickleball,’” Koplin said.
But just about every pickleball player will tell you the real reason for the name. The game’s inventor had a dog named Pickles who kept running away with the ball. The game was called Pickles ball and was later shortened to pickleball.
Stefan Sibley, recreation manager for the city, said they started the game at the center two years ago at the prompting of the Senior Games organization.
“We wanted to offer more opportunities at Nova Community Center, so we put down a few temporary lines,” he said. “It started off with a bang and just kept growing. It lends itself to all ages and demographics.”
As the game became more popular, permanent lines were painted and the courts grew from two to four. The latest improvement is that the lines of two of the courts are currently being repainted to provide more room between the courts.
In addition to the indoor courts at Nova Community Center, there are outdoor courts at Central Park, near Hammock Lane, and Osceola Elementary School, which is available when school is not in session.
Frank van Vlymen, visiting from Idaho, said a person can find a pickleball court when travelling by visiting usapa.org.
“It started in Seattle 15 years ago,” he said. “It’s all over the country now.” He said it’s much less expensive than tennis and he also meets “a lot of great guys.”
Fiske said pickleball is also less of an “elite sport” than tennis, and a person can walk into a gym and join others already playing.
An ambassador for the USA Pickleball Assoc., Maxine Sharp, of Ormond Beach, echoed the thought that it’s a welcoming sport.
“I help the new people,” she said. “I make sure they learn the game and get to play.”
“It’s wonderful,” she said. “We have a couple of people in their 80s, but also some in their 40s and 50s.”
She said she’s going to start a regional tournament in April.
McCarthy has found one drawback.
“I have a hard time telling people I play pickleball,” he said. “It doesn’t sound very macho.”
